i'm tossing this around for options, but i wanted to get some of your opinions; maybe post up some wheel colors that you think would look good with BSM? the 1M is BSM, and i'm thinking about powder coating the stock wheels some sort of gunmetal (VMR similar gunmetal color or possibly a slight shade darker). there's a dealer in charlotte that is absolutely amazing! i've used them before to repair some road rash on my advans before. (thanks charleston, SC for your crappy, tight parkin garages). you could never tell that any work had been done on them. i would have a light 35% huper or 3M crystaline tint on the car (i can't decide yet, waiting until they throw some up on the car before i make my decision), but i think this would look really good. your thoughts?

i really like the bmw shadow chrome! i think it would look really good against the BSM. can anyone photoshop this color on a BSM? (i may be in IT, but i am NOT good with pantshop or gimp).

Yes, that would be great. My only issue will be getting a second set of wheels/tires to be on while they do it. I am guessing its not a one day process.

You're right, if we schedule it ahead of time, we'd be looking a little under a week. I'm guessing right now based on my previous experience with them, but i'll call them later today to see what they'd be willing to do for us.

here's another picture i found. the more pictures i see, the more i'm talking myself into this color. also, wasn't there someone on this forum who already did this color on their 1M? anyway, here's another look (perfect for the BSM IMO):

Ok, I talked with Sue at Prince. The owner of Prince wheel will call me back later today. If you have the tires/sensors removed yourself, the cost per wheel is normally $150 complete (prep/paint etc). The BMW shadow chrome paint is actually shipped from Europe directly, so we will have to schedule this with them and get some dates. The process (for 4 wheels) takes 3-4 business days. If you need tires and sensors removed/remounted the cost is an extra $35 per tire/wheel. Once the owner calls me back, I will get a better idea of what he's willing to do for a group rate. Is anyone else willing to do this as well? PM me. I need actual commitments though, so the owner can gauge serious interest.

I was thinking of powder-coating them the same color as the BMW black kidney grills, what color would that be?

Also, will the powder-coat fade/peel over time or with frequent cleaning?

Any vendor is going to recommend only using soap/water. Under those conditions than what Sue said is "you should have no issues at all". She said that the work is completely guaranteed for 1 year, but she said that they do go over that if they can tell that chipping/fading/peeling is a result of their work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikewills

Please don't do black. I'm leaning toward gunmetal or an anthracite for my 1M. I think bronze may even look good.....on AW.

Mike, they said that they can do bronze for you as well. It sounds like if we have a lot of interest, they will come down to $130 a wheel, any powder coat color in the gray/bronze/black/silver spectrum. Basically, any colors that are considered to be "typical". Colors like red/blue/pink (they had a request for pink) could be more. Still waiting on the owner. Will let you guys know when I find out more details.

The gunmetal color on the E39 M5 wheels would be a perfect fit/look IMO. During my ownership I often thought of going aftermarket, but had deep love for the stockers, so ended up keeping them on the M5.

With that said, I am actually tempted to by the BMW Competition wheels from the GTS. I just need to see them in person. The net differential of buying those new and selling the stock ones should be about the same of gunpowdering all 4, without the risk of any imperfection (after all the GTS wheels are BMW factory).

So here are my questions since I have never had any wheel finishing/refinishing done.

Will PowerCoating give the exact same look as the wheels in the first post?
Or, Will it look more solid like the picture of the TSW wheel two posts up?

I am looking for that Translucent Hyper Black finish from the first post and not the solid color like the TSW wheel.

How are the wheels finished from the factory? I assume that is paint?
If so, which is more durable? Paint or Powdercoating?

Sorry for my ignorance, I just want to be sure before I commit to one method over the other.

Thanks!

tkbr0wn, Justin from Prince Wheel is going to sign up on the forum, post some pictures and offer us a deal (if we can firm up some interest). He mentioned somewhere around $130 for the wheels, but I'll let him make that final call. He said he's already doing an ongoing group rate for the M5 forum, and he said that he gets about 1 customer every month from that forum. He will post up some pictures of work he's already completed, and yes powdercoating is a more durable finish! This could work out pretty well. I'm excited to see the end result!!

Hi all, I want to quickly put this post up as I don't want to violate any forum rules about vendors and such, but I would be happy to answer all your questions on the Chrome Shadow finish and any other colors you may be considering for your wheels.

Here are some photos for your enjoymnent. One shows an original wheel and its finish next to a wheel with our finish, one shows a before shot of a wheel, and the other photo shows a lighter vs darker version of the chrome shadow. I'm not sure what order they will upload, so take a second to determine which picture is which.

edit:looks like the light vs dark is first. And in the original vs refinished (last pic), original is on the right (see adhesive where M emblem used to be).

hey justin, i think the first picture (that I posted up top) would be the one I'm shooting for. I would freak out if they looked ended up looking "chrome". the ones in the picture look to be a little more "true chrome" to me.

This is nearly identical to the factory process, but their process is automated and closely guarded, so the exact steps are not known precisely.

The only way to provide a "flat" color like on the TSW wheel is to locate the color in a flat powder that would not get a clear coat over it. So to answer the question, our finish is like the first photo that you want.

hey justin, i think the first picture (that I posted up top) would be the one I'm shooting for. I would freak out if they looked ended up looking "chrome". the ones in the picture look to be a little more "true chrome" to me.

The photo you first posted is taken inside. Our photos are in natural direct sunlight. Here is one of the same wheels photographed inside the shop. Also, we can alter the brightness/darkness of the final process by applying more or less coats of the chrome shadow stage.